AF-540FGZ II sporadic misfires on K-50

lightbox · 04-15-2017, 07:11 PM

Hi all,

I recently picked up a 540FGZ II in order to have a TTL bounce flash that works with my Pentax. Happy to report that P-TTL works great, but I noticed that the flash sometimes fails to fire when triggered from the hotshoe. The flash feels a little loose when mounted on my K-50, even when the clamp is in the "lock" position. I confirmed the same on a K-S1 which I recently purchased for my wife (however haven't had enough time to test for misfires on that camera).

I think the misfiring is dependent on the position of the camera. I was test shooting a wine bottle in the kitchen and when the camera was tilted slightly downward it would misfire. Leveling the camera seemed to resolve the misfires, though more testing is needed.

I was wondering if this is a known issue with Pentax gear. Are the hotshoes just loose by design? The only other brand I have experience with is Nikon (an old D80) and did not have this problem using the SB-800 flashes.

Appreciate your feedback!

victormeldrew · 04-16-2017, 02:51 AM

No, it is not normal for the hotshoe to be loose. It does sound like that could be the source of the problem.

I did have similar misfires with a Metz flash on K-50, but that was resolved with a firmare update and isn't relevant to your problem I don't think.

lightbox · 04-17-2017, 06:36 AM

Thanks for the reply.

I did notice one misfire yesterday as I was using the flash on my wife's K-S1. However the camera was on a tripod and level. I need to spend more time with this.

Has anyone else with an FGZ540 II experienced misfires?

tuggie76 · 04-18-2017, 05:43 PM

Originally posted by lightbox

Hi all,

I recently picked up a 540FGZ II in order to have a TTL bounce flash that works with my Pentax. Happy to report that P-TTL works great, but I noticed that the flash sometimes fails to fire when triggered from the hotshoe. The flash feels a little loose when mounted on my K-50, even when the clamp is in the "lock" position. I confirmed the same on a K-S1 which I recently purchased for my wife (however haven't had enough time to test for misfires on that camera).

I think the misfiring is dependent on the position of the camera. I was test shooting a wine bottle in the kitchen and when the camera was tilted slightly downward it would misfire. Leveling the camera seemed to resolve the misfires, though more testing is needed.

I was wondering if this is a known issue with Pentax gear. Are the hotshoes just loose by design? The only other brand I have experience with is Nikon (an old D80) and did not have this problem using the SB-800 flashes.

Appreciate your feedback!

I had the same problem with the previous model, there is a little contact that comes down when the base is tightened, something wore and it didn't come down any more and the flash would not tighten against the shoe. I had the base replaced for $200.00

Tuggie76

lightbox · 04-19-2017, 03:01 PM

Thanks, tuggie & Brooke.

I think I'm not going to sink any more money into it, so will just work around the issue since it's intermittent. It's probably the flash as two separate cameras (one new, one never used with a hotshoe flash previously) is too much coincidence.

I used it over the weekend to bounce off the ceiling for some foreground fill in family / group photos. When it worked, it worked well. Just a few misfires, so fortunately a minor inconvenience.

lightbox · 04-19-2017, 03:08 PM

If anybody knows of a cheap (< $50) fix, I'm all ears.

If the suggestion is a hotshoe cable, then I might as well hold the flash with my other hand and trigger optically. But I'm looking to keep this flash fixed to the camera (I've got others with radio triggers for off-camera, manual exposure). Just wanted at least one P-TTL unit for bounce/fill on camera.

**Theov39** · 04-19-2017, 03:46 PM

If new, why not return it under warranty? That is the latest model so you shouldn't have to put up with that inconvenience. Sounds like the center pin is not making firm enough contact.

On Nikon flashes you can replace just the hot shoe part for $20 or so for the part (the hot shoe is just held on with 4 small screws so you it's a DIY job) but not sure if that is possible on Pentax flashes.

lightbox · 04-19-2017, 04:14 PM

It's not new

Originally posted by Theov39:

On Nikon flashes you can replace just the hot shoe part for $20 or so for the part (the hot shoe is just held on with 4 small screws so you it's a DIY job) but not sure if that is possible on Pentax flashes.

Something like that would be fantastic

**Theov39** · 04-19-2017, 05:49 PM

Would a drop of solder on the end of the pin do the trick? Perhaps very carefully pressing in the hot shoe holder on the camera a fraction to get a tighter grip?

I only have the AF200FG and that seems non-serviceable to me but of course the 540 is a completely different design so there may be some more options for a cheap repair.

Yes, the Nikon solution is very smart. They count on the fact that the hot shoe connection/foot on the flash can break or mis-function now and then so just that part is designed to be easily replaceable without having to get rid of the whole flash.

04-15-2017, 07:11 PM	#1
lightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 599	AF-540FGZ II sporadic misfires on K-50 Hi all, I recently picked up a 540FGZ II in order to have a TTL bounce flash that works with my Pentax. Happy to report that P-TTL works great, but I noticed that the flash sometimes fails to fire when triggered from the hotshoe. The flash feels a little loose when mounted on my K-50, even when the clamp is in the "lock" position. I confirmed the same on a K-S1 which I recently purchased for my wife (however haven't had enough time to test for misfires on that camera). I think the misfiring is dependent on the position of the camera. I was test shooting a wine bottle in the kitchen and when the camera was tilted slightly downward it would misfire. Leveling the camera seemed to resolve the misfires, though more testing is needed. I was wondering if this is a known issue with Pentax gear. Are the hotshoes just loose by design? The only other brand I have experience with is Nikon (an old D80) and did not have this problem using the SB-800 flashes. Appreciate your feedback!

04-19-2017, 04:14 PM	#8
lightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 599 Original Poster	It's not new Originally posted by Theov39: On Nikon flashes you can replace just the hot shoe part for $20 or so for the part (the hot shoe is just held on with 4 small screws so you it's a DIY job) but not sure if that is possible on Pentax flashes. Something like that would be fantastic Last edited by lightbox; 04-19-2017 at 04:35 PM.

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04-16-2017, 02:51 AM	#2
victormeldrew Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: South West UK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,493	No, it is not normal for the hotshoe to be loose. It does sound like that could be the source of the problem. I did have similar misfires with a Metz flash on K-50, but that was resolved with a firmare update and isn't relevant to your problem I don't think.

04-17-2017, 06:36 AM	#3
lightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 599 Original Poster	Thanks for the reply. I did notice one misfire yesterday as I was using the flash on my wife's K-S1. However the camera was on a tripod and level. I need to spend more time with this. Has anyone else with an FGZ540 II experienced misfires?

04-18-2017, 05:43 PM	#4
tuggie76 Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,119	Originally posted by lightbox Hi all, I recently picked up a 540FGZ II in order to have a TTL bounce flash that works with my Pentax. Happy to report that P-TTL works great, but I noticed that the flash sometimes fails to fire when triggered from the hotshoe. The flash feels a little loose when mounted on my K-50, even when the clamp is in the "lock" position. I confirmed the same on a K-S1 which I recently purchased for my wife (however haven't had enough time to test for misfires on that camera). I think the misfiring is dependent on the position of the camera. I was test shooting a wine bottle in the kitchen and when the camera was tilted slightly downward it would misfire. Leveling the camera seemed to resolve the misfires, though more testing is needed. I was wondering if this is a known issue with Pentax gear. Are the hotshoes just loose by design? The only other brand I have experience with is Nikon (an old D80) and did not have this problem using the SB-800 flashes. Appreciate your feedback! I had the same problem with the previous model, there is a little contact that comes down when the base is tightened, something wore and it didn't come down any more and the flash would not tighten against the shoe. I had the base replaced for $200.00 Tuggie76

04-19-2017, 03:01 PM	#5
lightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 599 Original Poster	Thanks, tuggie & Brooke. I think I'm not going to sink any more money into it, so will just work around the issue since it's intermittent. It's probably the flash as two separate cameras (one new, one never used with a hotshoe flash previously) is too much coincidence. I used it over the weekend to bounce off the ceiling for some foreground fill in family / group photos. When it worked, it worked well. Just a few misfires, so fortunately a minor inconvenience.

04-19-2017, 03:08 PM	#6
lightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 599 Original Poster	If anybody knows of a cheap (< $50) fix, I'm all ears. If the suggestion is a hotshoe cable, then I might as well hold the flash with my other hand and trigger optically. But I'm looking to keep this flash fixed to the camera (I've got others with radio triggers for off-camera, manual exposure). Just wanted at least one P-TTL unit for bounce/fill on camera.

04-19-2017, 03:46 PM	#7
Theov39 Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Sydney Posts: 577	If new, why not return it under warranty? That is the latest model so you shouldn't have to put up with that inconvenience. Sounds like the center pin is not making firm enough contact. On Nikon flashes you can replace just the hot shoe part for $20 or so for the part (the hot shoe is just held on with 4 small screws so you it's a DIY job) but not sure if that is possible on Pentax flashes.

04-19-2017, 05:49 PM	#9
Theov39 Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Sydney Posts: 577	Would a drop of solder on the end of the pin do the trick? Perhaps very carefully pressing in the hot shoe holder on the camera a fraction to get a tighter grip? I only have the AF200FG and that seems non-serviceable to me but of course the 540 is a completely different design so there may be some more options for a cheap repair. Yes, the Nikon solution is very smart. They count on the fact that the hot shoe connection/foot on the flash can break or mis-function now and then so just that part is designed to be easily replaceable without having to get rid of the whole flash.

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